Pitch Bend Question (NM1)

Repeatpeak · Joined: Dec 25, 2003 Posts: 46 Location: Boston, MA, USA

Hi,

Was wondering if someone here knows how to solve a pitch bend issue I'm having with the NM1.
In addition to using the keyboard I also trigger sounds in the Nord via a pitch-to-midi guitar converter. This works well but the pitch bend range in the Nord seems to only affect pitching up, not down. This becomes a problem with faster movements and sliding downwards on the neck. I don't have this problem on most other synths where the Pitch Bend range parameter defines both pitching up and down. At least that's my assumption of what causes the problem in the NM1.

I would be glad if anyone has an idea of a workaround or perhaps a setting I haven't noticed!

Thanks!
Philip

Repeatpeak · Joined: Dec 25, 2003 Posts: 46 Location: Boston, MA, USA

Does anybody know what might cause this problem? I have run into several synths that show the same issue while others work perfectly OK.

Among the synths that work fine are:
- Waldorf microQ
- Terratec Komplexer (VSTi version of microQ)
- Z3TA soft synth

Synths that have the pitch bend problem when using a guitar-to-midi interface:
- Nord Modular classic
- Absynth VSTi
- NI Pro53 VSTi

Even if people here don't encounter the problem when using a keyboard, I'd be very glad to even get a clue of what might cause the pitch bend problem with my guitar-to-midi interface. Again, my assumption is that pitch bend range is defined in some synths for only an upwards direction, which casues the glitches in pitch when playing downwards movements.

Thanks for any ideas and feedback!

Philip

elros · Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Norway

I'll see if I can hook up my Micro Modular to my Roland GR-20 this week-end, and see what the pitch bend does.

blue hell · Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject:

For my MIDI sax it is a configuration option to have pitch bend work in one or in both directions. It "should" work in both, but that's harder to play as you'll need better control over lip tension. I used both options with the NM Classic so I'm pretty sure it can go both up and down.

Repeatpeak · Joined: Dec 25, 2003 Posts: 46 Location: Boston, MA, USA

I use a GI-20 with the Nord Modular classic as well and would be very curious to hear if you get it to work well.

The bend problems occur when I play downwards scales or slide down from a note.

Thanks
Philip

elros · Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 13 Location: Norway

I tried it last night, with my GR-20 and my fretless bass. The Micro Modular does pitch bend both down and up. I set the pitch bend range to 12 semitones on a simple patch with one VCO, a filter and a VCA. It reacted to sliding down and up a full octave, no problem.

I imagine that your GI-20 might be set up to not send pitch shift down. But then why does it work with your other sound generators?

Shocked

I don't know. I do know that the pitch bend information sent from my GR-20 depends on the patch selected. A piano patch, for example, won't do pitch bend; while a trombone patch will.

Repeatpeak · Joined: Dec 25, 2003 Posts: 46 Location: Boston, MA, USA

Sorry for the late reply - I was on vacation for a few weeks.

Thanks, Elros, for trying this out with your GI-20 and Nord Modular! Highly appreciated!

The GI-20 seems to only have a general Pitch Bend Range parameter and doesn't allow separate up/down values. I guess that means I will have to look deeper into the patches I'm playing on the Nord Modular and see how I can adjust them to work better.

Thanks again for testing this!
Philip